MOVIE REVIEW: Make a date with 'The Wedding Plan'

Thursday

May 18, 2017 at 4:00 PMMay 19, 2017 at 4:34 PM

I doubt I'll be the first to label “The Wedding Plan” as “My Big Fat Hasidic Wedding.” But that's a bit of an insult to the former, which has much more going for it than just a frustrated singleton negotiating love and a crazy family with rapidly fading patience. But what interests director Rama Burshtein more are the gnashing gears inside her heroinie Michal's head, as her faith in herself and her God are put to the ultimate test.

By Al Alexander/For The Patriot Ledger

Charm can carry you a long way in claptrap like “The Wedding Plan,” Rama Burshtein’s overly contrived ode to love blossoming under the chuppah. And charm is what star Noa Koler exudes as Michal, a 32-year-old Jerusalemite with a dream and an undaunted determination to be married on the eighth day of Hanukkah. As an orthodox Jew, Michal believes God will deliver a suitable groom to the altar on the prescribed day and time. Problem is, she’s rapidly running out of options after being unceremoniously dumped by her fiancé with less than a month to go. And all the matchmaker’s men may not be able to put her plan back together again.

For Burshtein, a writer-director who turned a lot of heads with her debut, “Filling the Void,” it’s a paper-thin premise that repeatedly strains credulity and patience, given the enterprise’s rampant predictability. To the rescue rides Koler in Michal’s brightly painted van containing a traveling petting zoo. A pinpoint casting choice, Koler gives us a real woman with full-bodied curves and an unruly shock of curly red hair. She’s no Cameron Diaz or Katherine Heigl, which is her best asset. And because she’s so refreshingly real, it keeps the film’s over reliance on serendipity sufficiently under check.

Yes, if you’re thinking a second coming of Nia Vardalos, you’re right on the money. In fact, I doubt I’ll be the first to label “The Wedding Plan” as “My Big Fat Hasidic Wedding.” But that’s a bit of an insult to the former, which has much more going for it than just a frustrated singleton negotiating love and a crazy family with rapidly fading patience. If this were Hollywood, the substance (I use that term loosely) would be Michal’s hunt for a man. And to be fair, a lot of “The Wedding Plan” is just that. But what interests Burshtein more are the gnashing gears inside Michal’s head as her faith in herself and her God are put to the ultimate test.

Koler, who picked up the Israeli version of the Oscar for her nuanced performance, takes you on a fulfilling journey from a meek little mouse who can’t make a decision (like which wedding entree to sample first) to a woman who knows exactly what she wants – and will settle for nothing less. Koler is also immensely likable, a huge plus for a movie in which she appears in every scene. She’s abetted by a solid supporting cast that includes Ronny Merhavi as the chubby best friend, Irit Sheleg as the doting mother, Dafi Alfron as the sassy sister and Israeli pop star Oz Zehavi (and his million-dollar smile) stretching a bit to play an Israeli pop star with a million-dollar smile who helps Michal find her way when she bumps into him during a pilgrimage to the sacred tomb of Rabbi Nachman in Ukraine.

My only beef is that “The Wedding Plan” isn’t nearly as funny as it should be, with the humor rarely rising above the mild stage. Not exactly the caliber of Jane Austen, to whom Burshtein is often compared. But her film definitely has spunk, along with an inherent ability to suck you into its quirky orbit. In other words, it’s a great date movie. You just might not want to marry it. THE WEDDING PLAN (PG for thematic elements.) Cast includes Noa Koler, Oz Zehavi, Ronny Merhavi, Dafi Alfron and Irit Sheleg. In Hebrew with English subtitles. Grade: B